Australasian taxonomy and systematics

By 2028 we will be in the age of microbiology, with
micro-organisms contributing to the majority of industrial processes. We urgently need to explore their diversity
and potential.

This will result in using microorganisms and their
enzymes to improve human health, increase crop yield, recycle waste products
and eventually replace much of the fossil(ised) economy.

This matters, because with an increasing population
and increasing demand for animal protein, agriculture must become more
efficient, as there are finite resources on earth there is an urgent need to
reduce or recycle waste, and a moral requirement to reduce pollution from
industry.

Resources to achieve this will be

·
Public support so that people are aware of, and in agreement with, using
microorganisms and their enzymes to ensure a more sustainable future.

·
The political will to look forward, by investing in discovery programmes
focussed on the microbial communities of Australia in ancient rocks, in highly
leached soils, and from the unique flora and fauna that occurs in diverse
climatic regions. These programmes will
include not just what is there, but how these organisms are able to survive in such
unusual environments. An outcome with be
to determine how this ability can be exploited in novel ways in new industries.

·
Investment from the extractive industries in microbial discovery in low
pH and highly saline environments in order to develop enhanced biomining and
bioleaching of mineral ores. This will
enable these techniques to be applied to a wider range of materials, under a
greater range of physical condition than is possible at present.

·
Investment from the agricultural industries for developing microbial
products for the better use of waste products.
An example is the use of fungal enzymes for recycling keratin from animal
waste into nitrogen-rich products such as plant fertiliser and animal feed.

·
Investment by manufacturing industries in the use of microbial enzymes to
minimise waste and pollution, so that this becomes part of their licence to
operate. Examples are the use of fungal
enzymes in the pulp and paper industry, and in tanning leather.